Steam-engine valve



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' STEAM ENGINE VALVE. V

No. 245,169. f 1 Patented Au 2,1881,

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v c c, that serve as passages for the supply steam UNITED STATES- PATENTOFFICE.

WILLIAM HOPKINS, OF DUBUQUE, IOWA.

STEAM-ENGINE VALVE.

SPECIFIQATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 245,169, dated August 2,1881.

Application filed December 13, 1880. (Model) To all whom 'tt mayconcern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Horxuvs, of Dubuque, in the county ofDubuque and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Steam-EngineValve, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of valves known as steam-actuatedsteam-valves, that are operated by steam and not by mechanicalattachments.

The invention consists of the combination, with a hollow cylindricalpiston-valve, of an auxiliary hollow cylindrical valve operated in aseparate steam-chamber by outward connection with the piston-rod, an armon the pistonrod sliding on the rod of the auxiliary valve betweencollars, whereby at the strokes ofthe piston said auxiliary valve islongitudinally reciprocated, so as to admit steam to one end of thepiston-valve while it lets steam exhaust from the other end thereof, andso that said piston-valve is movedsolely by steam.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, showing my improved deviceapplied to an engine-cylinder. Fig.2is a sectional end elevation of thesame on line m 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal elevation of theauxiliary valve. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal elevation of the steamactuatedsteam-valve. Fig.5 is a longitudinal vertical sectional elevation,showing the application of the auxiliary valve to an ordinaryslide-valve.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, Arepresents a steam-cylinder.

B is the piston of the cylinder A, and B the piston-rod.

0 represents the steam chest, containing the steam-actuated hollow valveD, of general cylindrical shape, having in its under side slots at a forthe passage of exhaust-steam into its interior, and having lateralopenings b b for the escape of the exhaust therefrom, and havin g neareither end peripheral annular grooves to the cylinder A. Said valveD isprevented from turning by a stud onguide, d, which is entered into itsend above its longitudinal axis through the end of the steam-chest G.

In a chamber, E, beneath the valve-seat F of the valve D, is the hollowauxiliary valve G,

of general cylindrical shape,having small passages'f f for the entranceof exhaust-steam into its interior, and a lateral opening, g, for theescape of the exhaust-steam therefrom, said openings ff being made smallto preventthe too sudden escape of exhaust from the ends of thesteam-chest 0, and so that the valve D shall be steam-cushioned at itsends, and be thereby prevented from too quick motion and from thumping;and said valve G is also provided with peripheral annular grooves ll,near each end, that serve alternately as steam-passages to the ends ofvalve D. The rod Gr of this auxiliary valve G extends outward through asuitable stufiing-box (represented at h) and through the upper end of anarm, H, that is secured on the piston-rod B, while on said rod G", atsuitable distances on either side of the arm H, are fixed the collars mm, against which the said arm H strikes alternately with each stroke ofthe piston B, and thereby imparts an intermittinglongitudinally-reciprocating motion to the auxiliary valve Gr.

In Fig. 1 the parts are in the position they assume when the piston B isat its extreme left-hand throw.

The operation of the device is as follows: The steam is admitted throughthe supply-port A, and passes down through the left-hand passage intothe steam-chest 0, about the left annular groove 0 of the valve D,through the corresponding port 0 in the valve-seat F, and through thecorresponding steam passage 19, into the cylinder A in the rear of thepiston B. In this position the auxiliary valve G is at the extreme left,and the exhaust from the cham ber E has escaped through the passage f inthe valve Gr,into said valve G, and out through the opening g into theexhaust-pipe L. Now, the left-hand grooves Z of the auxiliary valve Grregister with the portn of the valve-seat F, and the steam passesthrough them into the valve chainber O at the left of the valve D, andmoves said valve D to the right. At the same time the exhaust from thevalve-chamber 0 es capes at the right hand of the valve D, through theport it, into the passage f of the auxiliary valve G, and thence outthrough the lateral opening 9 to the exhaust-pipe L. By this movementthe groove 0 of the valve D registers with the port 0 of the valveseat Fand the port 19 of the cylinder A, and live steam is thereby admitted tothe left of the piston B, I be seen that this auxiliary valve G admitsmovingthe said piston 13 to the right, and cans ing the arm 11 to strikeagainst the outer collar, m, and move the auxiliary valve G to theright; but while the piston B is thus moving, and before the valve G hascompleted its movement to the right, the exhaust-steam on the right ofthe piston B escapes through ports 1) 0 into the center of valve D,through slot a, and thence out through exhaust L. Then the steamadmitted through the supply-pipe A passes down through the right-handpassage into the steam-chest (J, about the groove 0 of the valve D,through corresponding port oin [5 valve-seat F andcorrespondingsteanrpassage p in cylinder A, to the right of the pistonB, which will move said piston B and valves I) G to their primarypositions, as shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 5 the auxiliary valve G is shown ap- 2o plied to an ordinaryslide- 'alve, wherein M represents the steam-chest; N, the slidevalve;0, the valve-seat, provided with suitable steam and exhaust passages;and P the seat of the valve G, provided with suitable ports opening intothe steam-cylinder. In this case the valve G is operated in the samemanner and with the same etl'ect as hereinbet'ore described. It willsteam to one end of the piston-valve D,while it lets steam exhaust fromthe other end thereof, so that said valve D is moved easily and withoutthumping.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the hollow cylindricalpiston-valve D, having slots aa,lateral openings b, and peripheralgrooves c c, of the cylindrical hollow auxiliary valve G, provided withrod Gand collars m m, arranged and operated substantially as hereinshown and described.

2. The combination, with the steam-cylinder A, piston and piston-rod BB, the latter provided with arm H, steam-chest O, and chamher E, of thecylindrical hollow 'alve l),valveseat F, and hollow auxiliary valve G,provided with valve-rod G, having collars m m, substantially as hereinshown and described.

WILLIAM HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

GEO. A. FIFIELD, J. McMURETY.

